Dr. Thurman Brock was a part of Craven Community College's story from the very beginning. His first day on the job was Aug. 15, 1961 as the inaugural Director of Vocational Education for Craven County Schools. He went on to become the College's first president, serving April 23, 1968–December 31, 1989.
To help preserve his institutional knowledge from those early years, Dr. Brock wrote an 18-part history of the College in 1984-85 for the school newspaper, "The Panther."
On July 8, 1975, Mr. Charles T. Denham was elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees succeeding Mrs. Evelyn Haire, who had served from July 1973 as Board Chairman.
Special guest at this dinner meeting were Sen. D. Livingston Stallings, Rep. Chris Barker Jr. and Rep. Daniel T. Lilley. Chairman Haire gave each legislator a framed certificate of appreciation.
Architect John Peterson gave a status report regarding the progress on the addition to building C and the Physical Education Project. Facilities under construction included the soccer-softball field and tennis courts. The academic year 1975-76 was quite busy. During this time, two construction projects were nearing completion, the College’s accreditation status was reaffirmed by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and plans were made for the construction for a new building for the Learning Resource Center.
On Dec. 23 1975, the Board held a special meeting to discuss the tennis courts with a member of the Craven County Board of Commissioners. The commissioners said that two individuals had expressed concerns that the tennis courts were not compatible with other tennis courts in the county and they did not comply with U.S. Lawn Tennis Association Standards. He said that the county recreation department planned to use the College courts for tournament play.
Mr. Hal McNeely, who designed the courts for the College, explained that they constructed to slope from the net since drainage was a problem on the court site. Most tennis courts, he stated, were constructed on a single plane but soil tests indicated the College’s should slope from the Center.
A review of documents, including an agreement between the College and the County Commissioners, showed no reference to the courts for use for tournament play. The county recreation director had served on the College committee that wrote specifications used by the architect in designing the courts. It was pointed out that the tennis courts were being built primarily for teaching physical education classes and secondly for recreation department.
Following a brief period of discussion, Mr. Sidney French made a motion to reaffirm the Board's decision to construct the tennis courts as designed affecting the College and its educational programs.